The documents for the years 1879-1886 consist primarily of agreements, powers of attorney, and other legal documents, often in the form of drafts or fair copies. Included also are financial documents, such as bills, receipts, promissory notes, accounts, and stock transfers; some correspondence; and miscellaneous company records, such as memoranda, reports, and lists of stockholders.

The documents relate primarily to electric lighting, electric traction, ore milling, phonoplex telegraphy, and telephony. Many of the items refer to the establishment and operations of the Edison Electric Light Co., the Edison Ore Milling Co., Ltd., the Edison Telephone Co. of London, Ltd., and other Edison companies.

All of the documents for the years 1879-1886 have been selected except for duplicate copies, the brief summary sheets accompanying each envelope, and the envelopes themselves.